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Project managers are rarely
described as being funny. Moreover, a good sense of humor
rarely seems to be one of the deciding factors in choosing
someone to be a project manager, or something that pops
up as a major discussion point at an annual performance
review.
Perhaps this is because people think you aren't serious
about your work if you laugh. I disagree with this assessment,
but that's not really my point. As I talk to people either
pursuing a career in project management, or broadening
their assignment to include project management, I encourage
them to consider what tools they need to be successful.
I suggest that they consider any strength they have to
be part of their Project Management (PM) Tool Kit, and
being funny could be one of the tools they need.
On one project earlier in my career, my being considered
funny by my boss was the main reason I was asked to be
the project manager of a unique project, or as some called
it, an "opportunity." The scope of the work entailed:
- Produce a 15-20 minute video presentation, which
would take a "biting, irreverent, humorous" look at
all facets of our organization
- Insure we met our budget constraints
- Complete the project within 5 weeks
- Use any resources available
The project sponsor indicated this presentation was going
to be shown to all the company's executives just prior
to a closing speech by our chief executive officer at
an upcoming meeting. I would introduce it.
The challenge seemed to me to be how to approach this
task. The answer was fairly straightforward when I looked
inside my PM Tool Kit and chose the "tools" I felt I needed
to execute this project:
- Proposal writing with defined success criteria
- Cost management
- Schedule preparation
- Staffing plan
- Risk reduction plan
- Sense of humor
I wrote a proposal reiterating what I had heard the sponsor
state as his requirements, and began defining the scope
of the presentation. I also hired a contractor to assist
in writing and producing the video. Since the schedule's
end point was set, the main schedule activity was scheduling
intermediate reviews.
| As I talk
to people either pursuing a career in project management,
or broadening their assignment to include project
management, I encourage them to consider what tools
they need to be successful. |
I reviewed the proposal with the sponsor and obtained
his agreement. At that point, I set out to execute the
project. This is when I encountered my first obstacle.
No one else within the company wanted to work on this
project with me. In fact, most people told me I was crazy
to take on such an assignment. They indicated that if
I were successful, however, they would be more than happy
to say they had helped. I felt like I was living the children's
story of the Little Red Hen: Everyone declined to help
make the bread but everyone was willing to eat it. My
reaction was one of amazement and the stark realization
that this project would be executed with only the contractor
and me. I would see if being funny was really a moniker
I deserved. I now finalized the project's two success
criteria:
- The sponsor laughed when he saw the video
- I still had a job at the end of the project
My risk reduction plan called for early testing to allow
sufficient time for refining my humor and changing the
course of action, if required. We prepared drafts of 15-20
"skits" and reviewed them with the sponsor. He liked a
few of the concepts but felt they were not "biting" enough.
I also indicated I was not getting much "biting" inspiration
from the people I had discussed the project with so far.
He then personally asked two of the more outspoken members
of his leadership team to offer their thoughts about potential
concepts. We took their input and prepared another 10-15
draft "skits." The next review resulted in a green light
to move forward and produce the video.
| There are
conventional tools all project managers must learn
to wield...as well as specialized tools like a sense
of humor. |
The moment of truth came the day before the event when
we reviewed the final production. He laughed, I still
had a job, and then I laughed. Project accomplished. Success
criteria met. By evaluating, deciding on, and using specific
tools in my PM Tool Kit, which I have collected throughout
my career, I was able to tackle what I considered a very
high-risk project and meet my/its success criteria.
Humor was an important tool on this project. The use of
it on this project showed how important it is to use the
right tools. The important thing to remember is everything
the project manager has at his/her disposal belongs in
their tool kit. If they don't have the necessary tool,
they need to either borrow one or go buy a new tool. There
are conventional tools all project managers must learn
to wield (proposal writing, cost estimating, schedule
planning, etc.) as well as specialized tools like a sense
of humor. If we know how to use them adroitly, we can
consistently bring these to bear on our projects and be
successful no matter what the project criteria or scope.
|
 W.
Scott Cameron is the Capital Systems Manager for the
Food & Beverage Global Business Unit of Procter & Gamble.
He is also a regular contributor to ASK Magazine. |
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